Anyone reading this may think I’m talking to myself, but it seems a few people have read this despite no one else commenting.
As part of the process of refining the edit, I’ve pieced together a production timeline that follows some of the changes from the second draft script to the theatrical edit that some may find interesting.
It’s pretty well known that Mark Frost ghost wrote a draft with Barker’s involvement, but I believe this was still under the name of ‘Cabal’.
I think when the name was changed to ‘Nightbreed’, Barker did his own ‘first draft’ dated September '88 and this was the version Epic used for the comic adaptation, evidenced by the inclusion of the zoo scenes that had been excised by the second draft.
(Edit: I think, following some info I’ve gleaned from Clive Barker Cast ep 149, the comic was adapted from Frost’s draft which was dated November '88. From what I can tell, this was a separate draft from Barker’s and things like the introductory zoo scene were exclusive to this draft)
The second draft script dated December '88 is available via the UK Arrow blu-ray (Edit: the version on the Arrow release, that I used as reference in the edit, is the pink draft) and was the version green-lit by the studio. It includes the opening with Boone welding, the musical number, Narcisse’s death and the ending with Ashbury killing Eigerman.
Just before filming began, there was a pink draft dated Feb '89 that made minor changes.
Filming then started March '89, during filming there were changes made and by the end of principle photography (possibly May '89) there was a yellow draft which I believe is the version that is published in ‘Nightbreed: The Making of the Film’. clivebarker.info dates this version 25/8/89, but this date is also attributed to the green draft so I think that may be an error.
This draft swaps the opening garage scenes and original bedroom scene with the theatrical opening bedroom scene, adds the baptism, and Narcisse lives. I believe Shuna Sassi and Leroy Gomm are added in this draft. This draft still has Lori being contacted telepathically by Babette, Joyce surviving and Ashbury killing Eigerman.
I’ve seen in interviews the shooting of scenes from this draft being referred to as ‘re-shoots’ (which would explain the different Lori’s bedroom sets from the Cabal and Theatrical cut) but I believe the shooting of these scenes syncs with Ralph McQuarrie’s involvement at the end of principle photography.
Barker has described Nightbreed as a film where he very much developed ideas as they were filming, and as such I think many of the changes in the yellow draft came out of Clive’s own creativity as opposed to studio involvement.
In July '89 the studio delayed the release so additional work could be done and the final draft I’m aware of is the resulting green draft from Aug '89. I think this added all the additional Decker scenes shot in the US (I believe in Sept '89) and was very much a result of the studio wanting the film made more of a slasher and the central conflict to be between Boone and Decker.
I don’t know if much had been cut from the previous draft and I get the impression it was very much in the editing room that scenes like the musical number and Babette contacting Lori were cut.
If anyone has any additional info about the production I’d be very interested to hear it.
UPDATE 26/4/23: So, I’ve been digging through clivebarker.info and Clive Barker Cast and I think I’ve got some clarity in regards to re-shoots / timelines. Essentially there were 2 sets of reshoots.
Principle photography was March '89 to May '89 and this shot what was set out in the pink draft. There was a rough cut tested and the studio asked for some changes to make the film clearer and Barker took the opportunity to add some more monsters (Shuna Sassy, Leroy and Lude).
The yellow and green drafts were done to incorporate this and Ralph McQuarie’s involvement, so them both being dated from August '89 may be correct. These re-shoots were shot over two and a half weeks from August '89 and another rough cut was done. I’m also 100% that the script in the making of book is the yellow draft.
The 2nd lot of re-shoots were done in LA in “late '89” and these were the additional Decker scenes (him killing the garage attendant, the hotel receptionist and his resurrection). The additional pages for these scenes aren’t attributed to a particular draft.
With all this in mind, I’m happy with the cut I’ve made. If I was a puritan I could cut everything from re-shoots, but I think Barker would scowl at the idea of cutting some of the Nightbreed from Nightbreed.
Edit 3/10/23: Picked up Clive Barker’s Dark Worlds and it says the first reshoots at Pinewood (yellow draft) were 2 1/2 weeks in September '89 and the second lot of reshoots (potentially green draft) were in the US the following month.